


A Beautiful Wish

by ElectronicYarn



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25007710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectronicYarn/pseuds/ElectronicYarn
Summary: Horde Prime called Adora’s vision of her future a beautiful wish, but now that the war is over, can she make that wish a reality? Or are she and Catra doomed to make the same mistakes all over again.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87
Collections: She-Ra





	1. Between a Rock and a Soft Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story started as a free-form writing project, which is unusual for me. I didn’t intend to turn it into a polished fic. It was mostly supposed to help me puzzle through some…complex feelings that the ending to She-Ra left me with. But the more I worked on it the more I liked it, so I decided to turn it into something I could share with all of you. The problem with it originally being free-form, however, was that I basically had to throw out most of the original version and start over with a proper outline. Hence it’s been a month and a half since Season 5 ended, and I’m only just now posting Chapter 1. It’s for the best though. Trust me when I say you would never want to read one of my rough drafts.
> 
> This story was written after Season 5 aired and contains copious spoilers.

Adora, wearing the form of She-Ra, plucked a boulder up off the ground and lifted it above her head as if it was as light as a pebble. She was glad that her alter ego was still of use now that the Horde had been defeated. She wasn’t sure if relocating heavy objects was exactly what the ancient magic of Etheria had intended She-Ra to be used for when it had created her eons ago, but she supposed those mystic forces didn’t have a say in the matter.

The boulder Adora was carrying used to be part of Bright Moon Castle’s southern wall. The castle was still standing, but the quakes that had shaken the planet’s very foundation during Horde Prime’s invasion hadn’t done the structure any favors. Fortunately, the southern wall had been the only one that had collapsed. It was being repaired now along with the rest of the castle. Adora was one of the many people who had been asked to help, and she was happy to lend a hand.

Truth be told, Adora would have volunteered for rock schlepping duty whether she’d been asked to or not. While she didn’t miss being in a near-constant struggle for survival, battling the Horde had at least given her a purpose. Without enemies to fight, she’d been feeling more than a little useless. She’d compensated by volunteering for every kind of task imaginable, from cleaning up debris to entertaining children while their families work to rebuild their towns and homes. There certainly wouldn’t be a lack of things for her to do while Etheria recovered, but Adora worried what would happen when the day came that there were no more boulders that needed lifting.

Adora shook her head, pushing her nagging doubts aside. She’d worry about them later, preferably never. She looked over to a nearby hill where the former general of Bright Moon’s armies was perched. Adora had somehow never learned her name, and it had been so long that she was too embarrassed to ask at this point. The ex-general was overseeing the various workers who were repairing the castle. Now that the war was over, she had taken up running the affairs of Bright Moon Castle itself while Glimmer and Micah were focused on the kingdom at large.

“Hey!” Adora called out to the ex-general. “Where does this one go?”

“Over in the pit with the others! Just put them all over there!” the ex-general shouted back. She sounded more frustrated than she had the last four times Adora had asked.

“Alright!” Adora said. She started carrying her load toward the pit where the wreckage of the wall was being piled up. As she walked, she noticed that all the other workers were giving her a wide birth while they went about their various tasks. She supposed that made some sense given how readily the boulder she was carrying could squash them like bugs. They probably would have felt safer if they knew she wasn’t in any danger of dropping it.

All of a sudden, a sultry voice called out from behind, “Heeey Adora.”

A smile crossed Adora’s face, and a jolt of excitement shot through her. There was only one person who that could be. Somehow Adora hadn’t completely internalized Catra being a part of her daily life again. She would never admit it, but deep down she couldn’t believe that Catra had chosen to stay. An insecure part of herself still expected to wake up one day and find Catra gone.

Adora was about to turn around, but there was no need. Catra was already there. She sauntered up to Adora’s front and leaned against her. Thanks to Adora’s current eight feet of height, Catra had to crane her neck to look Adora in the eye, but she did just that with the most mischievous expression on her face.

“Catra? What’s—?” Adora started to ask, but she was promptly interrupted when Catra’s tail began tickling her underarm. She involuntarily laughed, but then she clamped her mouth shut so she could concentrate on not dropping her boulder which suddenly felt noticeably heavier than it had moments before.

“Something the matter?” Catra slyly asked.

“What are you doing?” Adora squeaked.

“I don’t know,” Catra said in a seductive tone. “But I can’t wait to see.”

“I’m carrying a boulder!” Adora said.

“I noticed,” Catra said. “Looks like I’ve finally got you right where I want you. I could do _anything_ I want, and you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

Adora blushed fiercely. She didn’t quite understand why Catra’s words were affecting her so strongly, and she wasn’t given much time to contemplate it. Catra turned to face her. Her arms curled around Adora’s neck, and she stood up on her tiptoes. Adora was pretty sure that she was going in for a kiss.

“C-catra,” Adora protested feebly. “People are watching!”

“Let them watch,” Catra said. Then she planted a kiss right on Adora’s lips.

Adora’s muffled, half-hearted objections were swallowed by the kiss. Her eyes darted back and forth between Catra and the massive boulder that she was holding, but Catra showed no sign of relenting.

Eventually, Adora gave in. She tossed the boulder to one side, ignoring the massive thud it made as it hit the ground, and began kissing Catra back. She swore she could feel Catra’s lips twist into a smile, but she quickly became too preoccupied to care. She still couldn’t believe that she’d wasted so much time fighting Catra when she could’ve been kissing her instead.

“Excuse me!” a voice shouted.

Catra abruptly broke off the kiss, but she kept herself pressed in close to Adora. Adora glanced in the direction the voice had come from and saw the ex-general storming up, looking extremely annoyed.

“Uh…” Adora said, not sure what the ex-general was so upset about.

“If you’re going to make out with your girlfriend instead of helping out,” the ex-general said, “could you at least not block up my construction site?”

Adora was confused at first until she noticed that she’d set the boulder down right along the path that the other workers were using to get to and from the southern wall. Some of the workers were just standing there, staring dumbly at the huge rock. Others were gingerly picking their way around it.

“Sorry!” Adora said, feeling embarrassed. She grabbed the boulder and hoisted it above her head again, taking care not to hit Catra with it.

Suddenly, Adora’s brain finished processing the entirety of what the ex-general had said. “Wait…. Catra’s not my…” Adora stammered. She turned to Catra. “Are you…? Catra, are we girlfriends?”

A grin spread across Catra’s face. She took a few steps back from Adora and reached her arms up high into the air, making a show of languidly stretching. “Why don’t you ditch these losers and come find out?” she asked.

“Well…. I mean…” Adora said. She felt herself blushing again. “I promised I’d help out here today.”

Catra’s grin faded. Adora instantly realized that she’d said the wrong thing, although she wasn’t sure exactly what. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to go see what Catra had meant, but she’d made a commitment to help.

An angry look spread across Catra’s face, but she visibly wrangled herself back under control. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and said, “Fine. I understand.”

Catra began walking away from the bewildered Adora. “Have fun playing with your rocks!” she said over her shoulder, her displeasure clear in her voice.

Adora and the ex-general both watched Catra leave. Adora really wanted to chase after her, but the giant boulder she was holding seemed to have her pinned to the spot.

“Wow,” the ex-general said. “After that, maybe she isn’t your girlfriend anymore.”

The ex-general walked off as well, leaving Adora alone with her boulder. “Uuugh,” Adora said, letting out a groan that would have made Mermista proud. “Why do I always end up pushing her away!?”

After a moment’s sulk, Adora glumly began walking again. She really wished there was an evil robot around for her to punch. She wasn’t sure how that would have helped, but it would’ve at least made her feel better.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Sometime later, Adora pushed open the door to her room. It wasn’t just her room anymore, however. Catra had taken up residence as well. Adora had half hoped that she’d find Catra there, but she had no such luck. The room was empty.

Adora glumly walked inside, closing the door behind her. The afternoon had only just begun, but the ordinarily bright sunlight shining in through the window seemed muted somehow, turning the room’s vibrant colors into bland shades of gray.

Catra had been absent since Adora’s run-in with her hours ago by the southern wall. If Adora had to guess, she would say that right now Catra was perched up high somewhere on one of the castle’s many spires. That was what she usually did when she was upset. Adora supposed she could try to find her, but she honestly didn’t know if that would do more harm or good.

Adora paused in front of her cot. Just like the room, she and Catra had been sharing the cot since they’d returned to Bright Moon. It was just like they were back in the Fright Zone’s barracks again. Only this time they weren’t pawns of an evil army bent on conquest. Adora had been so happy with the arrangement that it had taken days before she’d realized that no one had ever offered Catra her own room or even her own bed. Adora wasn’t sure if that had been because everyone else still mistrusted Catra, or if they’d just made certain assumptions regarding Catra’s sleeping preferences. Given what the ex-general had said earlier today, Adora was beginning to suspect the latter. She’d thought about asking Catra if she wanted her own place to sleep, but she’d decided against it. She really didn’t want to have to go back to spending her nights alone.

Adora stared listlessly at the cot for a moment. Then she flopped down onto it. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. It really felt like she and Catra were falling back into bad habits. Catra just didn’t seem to understand that sometimes she needed to do things that didn’t directly involve her. But no sooner did Adora think that then she began to wonder if it really would have been so horrible for her to leave with Catra and promise the ex-general that she’d help out later. She didn’t want to let anybody down, but she was starting to suspect that even with the Horde out of the picture she still couldn’t please everybody all of the time. It was very disappointing.

A long and weary sigh escaped Adora’s lips. She supposed what was really vexing her was that she didn’t know who exactly needed to change their behavior. Was it Catra, or was it her? She had a suspicion that the answer was both of them. And Catra was at least making an effort. Adora wasn’t convinced that she could say the same.

A question that Catra had asked not so long ago echoed in Adora’s head. _What do you want, Adora?_ The pained and pleading look that Catra had given her still hurt whenever she remembered it. As did knowing that the answer she’d given Catra hadn’t really been her own, just words that Shadow Weaver had put in her mouth.

Adora closed her eyes, trying to shut out the world for a few minutes. But then an image unexpectedly flashed in her mind, one of her in a white, flowing gown and Catra cutting a handsome figure in a red jacket. Adora was certain that neither one of them had ever worn outfits like that before, but they were familiar to her somehow. Where had she seen them before?

Adora’s eyes suddenly flew open, and she sat back up on her cot. She remembered now. With everything that had happened, she’d all but forgotten the vision that she’d seen while she’d been racing toward the Heart of Etheria. Horde Prime had called it her “beautiful wish”. Now that the vision was fresh in her mind again, the longing it inspired in her was so strong, so intense, that it was physically painful.

Adora turned to look at her dresser. Tiny Adora and Tiny Catra, two of the figurines that Bow had made, were sitting there. Adora gazed at them for a long time. Then her expression hardened into one of resolve. She sprung to her feet and walked very purposefully over to the dresser, snatching up the figurines off of it. Then she marched out of her room. She finally had an answer to Catra’s question. She knew what she wanted. The only thing was, she didn’t know how to get it. Fortunately, she knew how to figure that out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though, why did the Bright Moon general never get a name? Even Octavia got a name! You know? The octopus lady?
> 
> …
> 
> I just now realized that’s why she’s called Octavia. Octopus. Octavia. I really can be dense sometimes.
> 
> Anyway, keep an eye out for Chapter 2. I’ll be posting it soon.
> 
> As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.


	2. How to Win Girlfriends

Adora was pacing back and forth in front of a grand table. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and a very serious expression was on her face. She was in Bright Moon Castle’s planning room. In the past, she’d sat through countless meetings there, plotting how to defeat the Horde. Today she had a very different kind of adversary to overcome. Fortunately, she wasn’t alone. Bow and Glimmer were seated at the table, both of them taking turns glancing at Adora and at each other.

Adora suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face her visibly confused audience. “I’m sure you know why we’re here,” she said.

“Actually—” Bow tried to interject.

“This! Is our objective!” Adora said, pulling Tiny Catra out from behind her back. She dramatically slammed the figurine down on the table.

Glimmer looked alarmed. “Has Catra done something?!” she asked. “I really thought she’d changed this time!”

“This is my plan,” Adora said, completely ignoring Glimmer. She produced more figurines, Tiny Bow and Tiny Glimmer, and set them on the table as well. “You two create a distraction! Then I’ll sneak up from behind!”

No sooner had Adora said that than her tiny counterpart was suddenly in her hand. She slid the figurine of herself across the table until it stood directly behind Tiny Catra.

Bow asked, “Where are you keeping all of those?”

Glimmer said, “Adora, maybe you should tell us what’s going on.”

“I don’t know what’s going on!” Adora said. “I mean I do, but I don’t know what to do about it!”

Suddenly, an idea came to Adora. “Reinforcements!” she said, pounding her fist into her open palm. “We need to call in reinforcements!”

Adora quickly produced figurines of Netossa and Spinnerella and added them to her miniature battlefield.

Bow scratched his head. “I don’t even remember making those two,” he said.

“Netossa will know what to do! She’s got a plan for everything!” Adora said, her voice growing increasingly manic. “Catra won’t stand a chance!”

“Adora!” Glimmer said sharply.

“What?” Adora asked, confused as to why Glimmer sounded so frustrated.

“What is this all about?!” Glimmer asked, flailing her arms for emphasis.

“Oh. Well I’m kind of…sort of…” Adora said. Then she quickly muttered, “…trying to figure out how to make Catra my girlfriend.”

Bow and Glimmer both looked dumbfounded. Bow asked, “Isn’t she your girlfriend already?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Adora asked.

“Because everyone thinks it’s obvious,” Bow said. “Don’t you?”

“Well…” Adora said. “I didn’t really. But everyone else clearly does. And I think Catra did too but I might have accidentally told her that I wasn’t sure and now I think she isn’t sure anymore either and I just want to be sure!”

Glimmer said, “You could always talk to her about it. Maybe tell her you want to be her girlfriend?”

“But then what?” Adora asked. “Assuming she even wants that.”

“Go on a date?” Glimmer offered.

Adora stared dumbly at Glimmer.

Bow said, “You do know what a date is, right?”

“Yes! I know what a date is!” Adora said defensively. “I’ve just…. I’ve never been on one. Or even thought about going on one. Or had the time. Or someone to go with.”

Glimmer said, “Well now that the Horde is defeated, you’ve got the time to go on all the dates you want.”

“But what if I mess it up!?” Adora asked. “Then…then it might never happen.”

Bow asked, “What might never happen?”

A blush colored Adora’s cheeks. She hadn’t actually meant to say that last part out loud. She rubbed the back of her neck and averted her gaze from Bow and Glimmer. “When I was in the Crystal Castle, trying to find the Heart of Etheria, I had a…vision,” she said. “About the future.”

Glimmer said, “You saw the future?! She-Ra can do that?!”

“No!” Adora said. “It wasn’t the actual future. It was just…. I think it was my fondest desire.”

Bow said, “What did you see? If…that’s okay to ask.”

Adora blushed again, deeper this time. “All four of us. You two, me, and Catra. All living here at Bright Moon together,” she said. “You two were married.”

Glimmer’s eyes opened a little wider, but then a smile crossed her face. Bow smiled too, and they both took each other’s hand.

“Catra and I were married too,” Adora said.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, but it didn’t feel awkward. In fact, Adora really appreciated that her friends were giving her words some room to breathe. It felt like the most deeply personal thing she’d ever shared with them, but it was surprisingly relieving to have it out in the open.

Bow reached out and slid the figurines of Catra and Adora forward. “I think you should tell her,” he said.

“What?! No!” Adora said.

“Why not?” bow asked.

“Catra will take it the wrong way!” Adora said. She began pacing again. “I always say the wrong thing around her! I couldn’t convince her to leave the Horde. Or that I was never trying to hold her back! I wasn’t even the one who made her turn against Horde Prime! That was you, Glimmer!”

“It wasn’t me, Adora,” Glimmer said.

“Of course it was,” Adora said. “She sacrificed herself to get you off Horde Prime’s ship.”

“No,” Glimmer said, shaking her head. “She wasn’t trying to save me. She was trying to save you.”

“Really?” Adora asked, stopping in her tracks.

“She told me so herself,” Glimmer said. “It was the only way she could think of to protect you from Horde Prime.”

“Wow,” Adora whispered. She felt her heart melt a little.

“Adora,” Bow said. “Maybe you don’t have to tell Catra about your vision. But I think you should ask her out on a date.”

“Right. A date,” Adora said. “I can do that.”

Another moment of silence passed while Adora tried, and failed, to look confident.

Bow said, “You could go do that right now.”

“I could,” Adora said, but the thought of having to face Catra at this exact moment and attempt to not put her foot in her mouth terrified her more than she’d ever admit. Her mind unhelpfully began to conjure up all manner of ways that things could go horribly, horribly wrong.

Glimmer worriedly asked, “Adora?”

“Yes! I’m fine!” Adora said unconvincingly.

“And?” Glimmer asked.

“And I will go on…a date…with Catra,” Adora said. Then she quickly added, “But not today! I’m supposed to help with the southern wall repairs some more.”

Bow said, “Maybe tomorrow then?”

“Yes! Tomorrow!” Adora said. “But…I did promise Entrapta that I’d let her take some readings on She-Ra’s new sword.”

Bow and Glimmer groaned.

“And the day after that,” Adora continued, “Scorpia asked me to—”

“Enough!” Glimmer said, slamming her hands down on the table. “Adora, as your queen I hereby relieve you of all other duties and order you to go on a date with Catra!”

Adora gulped. She felt herself start to sweat. “Can you give me orders?” she asked as a stalling tactic. “Did we ever figure out if I’m a citizen of Bright Moon now?”

“Go!” Glimmer said, thrusting a finger toward the nearest door.

“Yes ma’am! Your majesty!” Adora squeaked out. She was so befuddled that she fell back on her old training and gave Glimmer a Horde salute. Then she beat a hasty retreat out of the planning room.

“Date. Date. Date,” Adora muttered to herself. “A date with Catra. I can do this! Oh, I hope I can do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m starting to wonder if all the She-Ra stories I write will involve characters talking about their feelings through the medium of tiny figurines. Honestly, I’d be okay with that.
> 
> As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.


	3. A Princess and a Cat

Adora slowly crept down one of Bright Moon Castle’s many hallways. There was a look of grim determination on her face and a bouquet of flowers clutched in one of her hands. Her target wasn’t far away, and Adora was drawing on all of her training to not give her position away.

The hallway turned a corner up ahead. Adora tiptoed up to it and carefully peeked her head out. She caught a brief glimpse of Catra before she pulled back again.

Adora’s heart was pounding in her chest and her palms felt sweaty, but she did her best to stay calm. She peeked around the corner again. Catra had just reached the door to the room that she and Adora shared, apparently unaware that she was being watched. She opened up the door and let herself inside.

Adora stood there for longer than was strictly necessary, her eyes burning a hole into the door that Catra had disappeared through. She swallowed hard and then hesitantly came out from her hiding spot. She shuffled over to the door, but all she managed to do was start staring at it all over again.

Eventually, Adora let out a frustrated grunt. “You can do this!” she said to psych herself up. “It’s just Catra. She’s not even trying to kill you anymore. Just tell her you like her. No! That won’t work! You already said you love her! Maybe tell her she’s…pretty? Oh who am I kidding!? I can’t do this!”

Adora started walking away. However, she’d only gotten ten steps down the hallway before she turned right back around and walked up to the door again. She sighed and lifted her hand. Then, mustering up all of her courage, she knocked on the door.

“What?!” Catra’s voice bellowed from inside the room.

Adora couldn’t tell if Catra was just being her usual grumpy self, or if she was still upset from this morning. Adora knocked again. Her grip on the bouquet tightened. On a whim, she hid the flowers behind her back.

“What!?” Catra repeated. Adora heard the sound of stomping footsteps, and then the door flung open. Catra said, “What do you—!? Adora?”

Adora realized that now was her moment. She needed to say something flattering or sophisticated or charming. Instead, she just stood there, looking at Catra with a dumb expression on her face.

“Is something wrong?” Catra asked. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Adora desperately tried to collect her wits. In a panic, she pulled the bouquet out from behind her back and shoved it toward Catra, shouting, “I want to go on a date with you!”

Shock registered on Catra’s face. For once she seemed to be at a loss for words, but she quickly recovered. She crossed her arms and tried to look smug, although the blush coloring her cheeks ruined the effect. “Done playing with rocks already?” she asked.

“I wasn’t…! I mean, yes!” Adora said. “And…I’m taking the rest of the day off!”

“Really?” Catra asked, sounding surprised again.

“Yes! Glim…uh….” Adora quickly realized that she probably shouldn’t admit that she’d been browbeaten into this. She attempted to recover. “I’m… _glad_ …to…spend it with you! If…if you want me to.”

Catra’s tail swished behind her back a few times. Then she grabbed Adora by the arm and very forcibly pulled her into a hug. Adora squeaked in surprise, and when Catra’s lips slammed into hers, her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. But her shock only lasted as long as it took for her to get lost in Catra’s lips. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to kissing Catra, but she was prepared to try it as many times as it took.

Eventually, Catra pulled back. “What do you think?” she asked.

“I think that was a yes,” Adora said with a laugh.

Catra eyed the bouquet that was still clutched in Adora’s hand. “What’s with the flowers?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Adora admitted. “Someone told me to bring them. I think it’s a princess thing.”

Catra snatched the bouquet from Adora and carelessly tossed it over her shoulder. “We don’t need that princess stuff,” she said. “We just need each other.”

“Right! Of course!” Adora said. Her heart started beating even faster, if that was possible. She couldn’t believe how well things were going so far. But it was then that she realized she had no idea what to do next. “So. Do you…want to spar? Or…?” Adora said, taking a stab in the dark.

“You want to spar on a date?” Catra asked.

“No?” Adora said. “I mean we could…. Train…instead…? There’s an obstacle course set up in—”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Come here,” she said and yanked on Adora’s arm again, pulling her into the room.

Catra kicked the door shut behind her. “Take off your boots,” she said.

“What?” Adora asked.

“Boots! Off!” Catra said.

“Right! Okay!” Adora said. She bent down and started tugging at her laces. She had no idea what Catra had in mind, but it was nice that at least one of them seemed to know what they were doing.

Adora quickly finished pulling off her boots. She looked up to see Catra rummaging around the room. Eventually, Catra found what she was looking for, a pillow of some kind. Based on the fabric’s flowery pattern, Adora guessed that it had belonged to Perfuma before Catra had gotten her claws on it.

Catra walked over to the cot and shoved all the blankets off. Then she dropped the pillow on top of it.

“What are we doing?” Adora asked, more confused now than anything.

Catra walked over to Adora, and without saying a word, she began unzipping Adora’s jacket.

“Catra?!” Adora asked.

“I am going to teach you how to relax,” Catra said, pulling Adora’s jacket off, leaving her in just her tight-fitting turtleneck and gray slacks.

“I’ve tried that before. It’s really not for meeeiii—!” Adora’s words turned in to a yelp as Catra literally swept her off her feet, scooping her up into her arms.

“Shh-shh-shh,” Catra said like she was consoling a small child. “Just relax.”

Adora really did want to relax—and it helped that being held in Catra’s arms was so unexpectedly soothing—but she just didn’t think it was something that she was capable of. “I…can’t,” she said.

“Oh just you wait,” Catra said.

Adora couldn’t help but feel that Catra had sounded vaguely ominous.

Catra carried Adora over to the cot and dumped her down onto it. “Face down,” she said. “On your stomach.”

“But…” Adora began to protest. Then she saw that the pillow Catra had left on the cot was horseshoe-shaped and perfectly sized to cradle her head. She hastily rolled over onto her belly and settled her face into the pillow. She was pleased to find that it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Still, she wasn’t sure how this was supposed to help her relax. She felt herself growing more and more agitated the longer she lay there, but she was willing to give this a try for Catra’s sake.

Suddenly, Adora felt the cot shift. She lifted her head and saw Catra step up onto the cot and stand over her.

“What are you—?” Adora began to ask. She was interrupted by Catra’s foot gently but firmly pushing her head back down into the pillow. She thought that would be the end of it, but then Catra’s heel began pressing into the muscles at the base of Adora’s skull. It rubbed back and forth, slowly coaxing the tension out of them.

“Oooh,” Adora said. She had no idea what Catra was doing, but it felt wonderful.

After a moment or two, Catra removed her foot, making Adora mumble a disapproving sound. But then Catra stepped onto Adora’s back and began walking slowly and very precisely along the taught muscles that flanked both sides of Adora’s spine. Her heels dug in, forcing the muscles to loosen up for the first time in a very long time.

It wasn’t long before Adora was practically delirious with bliss, and she was pretty sure that she was drooling into the pillow. Was this what other people felt like when they relaxed? How did anyone ever manage to work up the motivation to get stuff done? And just when Adora thought things couldn’t get better, she heard a distinct pop as two of her vertebrae clicked back into proper alignment. The rush of euphoria that hit Adora made her let out a joyous, incoherent moan.

Adora wasn’t sure how long Catra worked her magic on her back. Time had lost all meaning for her, and she kept drifting in and out of consciousness. She only really became aware again when she felt Catra lay down on top of her. That was a wonderful enough sensation in and of itself, but then Catra started purring. The gentle vibrations were the most soothing thing Adora had ever felt, and in no time at all she was lulled off to sleep.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Adora’s eyes slowly opened. She found herself still lying on her cot, and she wasn’t alone. She could feel Catra spooning against her. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but outside the window she saw the sun getting low in the sky. She knew there were plenty of things she could be doing while there was some daylight left, and there were plenty of people who could use her help, but for once she decided it would be okay if she just stayed in bed.

Adora felt Catra stirring behind her. She rolled over onto her side so that she could face Catra. When she did Catra gave her a smile that she could only describe as sweet.

“Finally awake?” Catra asked.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Adora asked. She was pretty sure it wasn’t the kind of thing that had been covered by the Horde’s training program. Although she’d admittedly never gotten the chance to go to force captain orientation like Catra probably had.

Catra said, “You’d be surprised what you can learn wandering around this castle. Especially when people don’t realize you’re there.”

“Have you been spying on people?” Adora asked.

“Maybe I have,” Catra said. “Do you want to hear all the juicy gossip I’ve picked up?”

Adora was silent for a moment. Then she quietly said, “Maybe.”

Catra laughed. She said, “Wow! Who knew Adora isn’t such a Goody Two-shoes after all! Maybe on our next date we can take Melog with us and walk around the castle invisible. Think of all the trouble we could get up to.”

“So we are going to have another date!” Adora said, sounding far more eager then she’d intended.

“Well duh!” Catra said. But then a frown crossed her face. “Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”

“Why wouldn’t I be interested?” Adora asked.

Catra suddenly sat up, startling Adora. She shifted over to one side of the cot and let her feet hang down to the floor. Adora pushed herself up onto her arm. Had she messed everything up again? She really didn’t know what she could have done this time. She wished she knew what Catra was thinking. Based on the way her ears were drooping, it probably wasn’t anything good.

“Catra?” Adora asked. She reached a hand out, but she stopped short of placing it on Catra’s shoulder.

“I know you,” Catra said, still not looking at Adora. You don’t…do things like this unless someone tells you to.”

“That’s not true!” Adora said.

“Isn’t it?” Catra asked.

Adora pouted. She said, “So maybe I needed a little help from my…from _our_ friends. But so what?”

Catra didn’t respond.

A resolute look crossed Adora’s face. She sat all the way up and scooted over until she was right next to Catra on the edge of the cot. She reached down, took Catra’s hand, and said, “I love you. That hasn’t changed.”

Catra’s hand squeezed Adora’s tight. “I love you too,” she said. “But I’m not sure we mean the same thing when we say it.”

“Catra!” Adora said, horrified.

“I know that’s not fair!” Catra said, finally looking at Adora again. “But I’m being honest with you. It’s how I feel.”

Adora’s lips pressed tightly together. She debated with herself for a brief moment before she said, “I had a vision the last time we were in the Crystal Castle. A vision of us. Together.”

“Yeah that place likes to mess with your head,” Catra said. “It’s always showing us all those old memories.”

“No. This was different,” Adora said. “It wasn’t us as kids. It was what we might be like in the future.”

“The future,” Catra said absently. Then understanding slowly dawned on her face. “The future? And we were together?”

Adora nodded solemnly. “I have an answer for you. I know what I want. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted for myself. It’s you, Catra. I want you.”

The look of wonderment that Catra gave Adora hit her hard. And when a tear slipped out of the corner of one of Catra’s eyes, Adora felt like she was on the verge of crying herself.

“It’s just…” Adora said. “I don’t know how to make ‘us’ happen.”

“We can figure it out,” Catra said. Then she leaned in even closer.

Adora’s and Catra’s lips met in a kiss, sending a whole flood of emotions crashing over Adora. There were too many for her to name, but the strongest of them all was her love for Catra. She was more determined than ever to make her beautiful wish a reality, no matter what it took.

Adora finally broke the kiss, but rather than pulling back she rested her forehead against Catra’s. “So are we girlfriends now?” she asked, dead serious.

Catra burst into laughter. She playfully pushed Adora’s head away. “You’re such an idiot,” she said.

“No really!” Adora said. “Are we girlfriends?”

A mischievous gleam appeared in Catra’s eye. She suddenly pounced on top of Adora, pushing her back down onto the cot. Adora laughed in surprise.

“How about we stay right here and find out?” Catra asked.

A blush reddened Adora’s cheeks. “O-okay!” she said, eager to see what Catra was talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about me, I was a professional massage therapist for many years. It took a lot of willpower on my part to not call the muscles Catra was working on by their proper names. But I don’t think words like “suboccipital” or “erector spinae” would have made much sense to most of you. Although I could be wrong! The style of massage Catra’s using here is called Ashiatsu, although real Ashiatsu is generally performed with parallel bars running above the massage table to allow the therapist to better control the amount of pressure being applied to the client.
> 
> That’s it for this story. It was short, but it definitely helped me cope with She-Ra being over (at least for now). I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a comment. And if you like what you’ve read, taking the time to leave a kudos really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.


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